Mike Tyson ko gussa kyun aata hai

What do boxer Mike Tyson and football superstar Zinedine Zidane have in common Both let headbutts ruin their decorated playing careersTyson faced Evander Holyfield twice at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas mdash on November 9 1996 and June 28 1997 Tyson alleged that Holyfield repeatedly headbutted him during their first fight and continued doing so in the rematch prompting him to bite off a piece of Holyfieldrsquos ear in the infamous lsquoBite Fightrsquo Tyson was subsequently disqualifiedNearly a decade later on July 9 2006 France superstar Zidane was sent off during the FIFA World Cup final at Berlinrsquos Olympiastadion for headbutting Italyrsquos Marco Materazzi who had made a remark about the Frenchmanrsquos sister France lost the final 35 via tiebreakerBoth incidents highlighted how a moment of anger can overshadow years of sporting achievement And in both cases a childhood family connection played a roleWhile Zidanersquos love for his elder sister Lila stems from their closeknit upbringing as the youngest in a family of five children Tysonrsquos troubled childhood is well explored in the documentary Tyson that released on Netflix earlier this month Even at 60 Tyson appears instinctively aggressive in some sections of the fourpart series particularly while discussing his povertystricken childhood the death of one of his children and of course the Bite FightI was fortunate to interview Tyson when he visited Mumbai three years ago as the brand ambassador of Mixed Martial Arts League Kumite 1 The interaction was insightful but it also offered a glimpse of the short temper that is an inseparable part of his personaThe undisputed heavyweight champion who held the unified WBC WBA and IBF titles from 1987 to 1990 was scheduled to meet select journalists at a city fivestar hotel I was called in first with colleagues from other media houses waiting their turn Before beginning our conversation I requested permission to touch Tysonrsquos ironlike knuckles mdash the fists that saw him knockout 44 men in 50 professional wins including 12 in the opening seconds of Round 1 He obliged I then asked him to raise his fist for a photograph with me He agreed That picture remains a prized possession We chatted for around 20 minutes As I thanked him and prepared to leave the journalist waiting next approached Tyson and asked him to raise his fist for a similar photographTysonrsquos response was startling ldquoNOrdquo he said firmly before adding in a sharp tone ldquoYou donrsquot tell me what to do No one tells me what to do I do what I want to dordquoThe stunned journalist barely managed a subdued ldquoOookkrdquo The tension soon dissipated but as I walked away I wondered what it mustrsquove been like to face such an intimidating personality inside the boxing ringIn the documentary Tyson also speaks about his drug use and vehemently denies raping 18yearold Desiree Washington in February 1992 for which he was convicted and served three years in prisonRenowned sports psychologist Jaini Nandu 29 says there can be a correlation between childhood trauma CT and adult behaviour among sportspersons but the outcomes vary ldquoStudies have shown that many people who suffered CT went on to become Olympic champions They found a perfect expression for their CT in the sport they chose be it athletics football or another sport But Tysonrsquos case is differentrdquo says Nandu a senior sports psychologist with Reliance Foundation Youth SportsldquoWhile most sports require athletes to skilfully outperform each other in boxing an athlete succeeds by hitting the opponent So therersquos a sense of acceptance in the boxerrsquos mind that hitting someone is fine This can lead to aggressive behaviour continuing outside the ringrdquo adds NanduDuring his interview with me Tyson spoke of how he grew up in poverty which is why he was keen to visit the slums in Dharavi ldquoIrsquom a slumdog thatrsquos where the rough kids are and I like thatrdquo he had saidIn the latest documentary Tyson also recounts that his mother who he says was a sex worker attended to clients while he was present in the same bed He also reveals he never understood the importance of being faithful and openly cheated on his partnersA correlation here againNandu sums it up perfectly eliminating all doubt just like a typical Tyson knockout punch ldquoThere is often a close bond between mothers and sons So if Tyson witnessed his mother being abused this could have impacted him and his interpersonal relationships with other women later on in liferdquo middayrsquos Sports Editor Ashwin Ferro loves to play ball fair and square and everywhere He tweets ashwinferroSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper